By the end of this year £3.5m will have been spent on public open spaces, roadside verges and closed cemeteries and churchyards. The project is receiving £2.8m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

The next Making Space for Nature event is a community wildflower planting day in Penzance on Saturday 30 March.

From 10am to midday residents can help plant pot-grown wildflowers at Mennaye Boating Lake and Mann’s Field in Wherrytown. There will also be an afternoon session in St Mary’s Churchyard between 2pm and 4pm.

Sue James, Cornwall Council’s cabinet portfolio holder for the environment and neighbourhoods, said: “The Making Space for Nature project has helped transform plots of land in towns across Cornwall to make them better places for people and for wildlife.

“As spring starts we are inviting residents to come out and see these beautiful new green spaces and get involved in planting activities or just enjoy being in nature.”

Making Space for Nature is a practical example of Cornwall Council’s Pollinator Action Plan which is being launched later this spring.

It aims to make the Council’s assets and operations more pollinator friendly by increasing awareness of pollinators and their needs, identify and support local ideas for pollinator opportunities, help ensure pollinator habitats and species recover and provide beneficial services to farming and tourism and residents across Cornwall.

European Regional Development Fund

The project is receiving up to £2.8 million of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the Managing Authority for ERDF. Established by the European Union ERDF funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/england-2014-to-2020-european-structural-and-investment-funds